sundries

[rm]

help_haiti is a fandom auction to raise money for Haiti.

jonquil takes apart David Brooks's version of "blame the victim" re: Haiti.

hakaber reminds us that we don't know what they mean, but there are currently a number of somewhat worrying earthquake swarms happening and not all of them can be strictly classified as aftershocks of the Haiti earthquake.

Meanwhile, rufus alerts us to a seminar for female lawyers from male lawyers on how they can be better! Check it out and be furious.

Six minutes til midnight: the Doomsday Clock has been moved back one minute

Does anyone have any advice about the needy neurotic cat? Patty was away, then Little died, then Patty and I were on vacation and now the cat's agitated and worried all the time. We don't let her in the bedroom, but she's still screaming by the door and scratching it at night. How do we reassure the cat and get a good night's sleep?

My tuxedo is here. I'm at the office, eying the box suspiciously, periodically. It's been a strange adventure, and I've not even seen the thing yet.

A note under our door from the building receiver says we're finally getting an intercom system in a few weeks. Sweet!

Tonight involves unpacking, cleaning, organizing, maybe even laundry. Probably cleaning out the refrigerator too. I really hate coming home from vacation.

I've got the camera cord in my pocket, so hopefully Patty and/or I will start uploading some pictures tonight.

Senate to hold hearings on DADT. Be prepared to find that unpleasant. ETA: as the NYTimes notes there is discussion of allowing queer soldiers into only some sorts of units as well as discussion of whether there needs to be changes to designs of barracks and bathrooms due to privacy concerns (because, apparently, we still believe that us gays will fuck anything we see). It's not a pleasant read.

Newsweek's cover this week is the Conservative Case for Gay Marriage. It's an important article, not just because of the minds it might sway (critical if we want queer families to be treated with compassion, especially regarding end of life issues), but because it offers a lot of assertions about marriage as the one true way that just aren't true (i.e., you can care about you community without doing the marriage thing, thanks), and really speak to (if only through the implication of counter argument) the impact the marriage debate is having on gay culture (it is, in my opinion, the second half of the narrative of required normalization that began with the AIDS crisis).

Newsweek also brings us a story about male-on-male sexual harassment. This isn't about gay men in the workplace, but it sure is about homophobia at its core: it's about presumably straight men using sexuality to humiliate each other.

Notre Dame school paper prints cartoon advocating gay-bashing. It notes that "the easiest way to turn a fruit into a vegetable is with a baseball bat." via gwailowrite.

So now there's a rumor going around that some of the yet-to-be-confirmed Torchwood S4 will be filmed in Washington DC. Please no. You know, I have a list of three directors I would crawl over broken glass to work with. One of those, Sam Mendes, I've already gotten to work with (hey, is this weird rumor I heard about him directing the next Bond film even possibly true?) in Revolutionary Road, where yes, haters, I have a credit, thank you. Beyond my little list of three -- I don't really get worked up about this shit. Jobs are good; good jobs are better, but I don't expend emotional energy on wanting to be on certain shows or work with certain people beyond "wouldn't that be rad" outside of my list, which is personal, complicated and predictable. But you see, if Torchwood shoots some episodes here, I may have to care in a way that's not fun, and so I hope the rumour is false, as I'm far more content to have my agonizing start and stop with whatever Baz Luhrmann and Todd Haynes are working on at any given moment.

First there was Torchwood Babies... now there's Torchwood Heroes.

Guess who got a banquet ticket for Gally? Sweet.

Just ordered the Kign's crown buttons to replace those on the coat (again, ugh) in time for the con.

Yorkville. Most of the stuff I remember from my childhood is gone, including both the original Elk Candy Company and its later reinvention (the store is now Internet-only), as well as an Austrian restaurant I used to go to with my parents that had a weird little train set in the window that went up fake little mountains year round.

Clingwrap. Cats. Win.

Comments

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I was expecting a train wreck, but dang.

[rm.livejournal.com]

It's remarkably incoherent, and I feel like the judge is asking questions based on "what crazy shit can I make you say now?"

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

That's actually the best description of what little bit I've been able to catch this week. It's disheartening because I feel like my people's right to exist and be full citizens is being put at ridiculous risk by being treated so lightly. No matter how the judge rules, not treating the issue with due seriousness harms the movement in favor of same-sex marriage (and against putting civil rights to a public vote).

I'm disgusted.

[rm.livejournal.com]

The judge seems to be more on our side than the other side, although I almost suspect he's making the pro-8 peopel say lots of stupid, stupid shit because he's may have to rule in their favor on some point of law, but does in fact feel they are irrational bigots.

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

Disgusted might be a stronger word than I'm actually looking for. I'm just...profoundly uncomfortable. And it's been a week. Reserves aren't what they could be in this skull of mine.

If he rules for us, the Right has a leg to stand on when they challenge the ruling. If he rules against us, the precedent set is bad and it's a mess of a case. Too much messing around damages the moral high ground of the court.